At the moment, I am no longer on the Carnivore diet. In short, it showed me some really impressive results by drastically dropping my inflammation and reducing my symptoms, but the fat without any plant fiber made digestion seriously unpleasant.

In making digestion seriously unpleasant, I was much more reluctant to eat higher calorie meals (i.e., more fat) in order to not only sustain my weight, but add on some pounds.

My weight started dropping as I reached the end of my 30 days of Carnivore.

My protein to fat ratio was roughly 30% protein to 70% fat. Sometimes a bit higher on the fat.

Honestly, I would have stuck with the Carnivore diet had it not been for the unpleasant digestion. This included excessive belching, nausea, vomiting on occasion, and even a run or 2, if you know what I mean.

It got so bad at one point that I ended up in the E.R.

I told the E.R. doctor about my Carnivore diet. In knowing this, he said to drink some more water because my creatinine was a bit elevated due to my high protein diet.

Other than that, and as would be expected, everything was normal (vitally speaking) and they discharged me with a potential viral diagnosis. They even ran lipase levels without my suggesting, which were normal.

So, the girlfriend, with a background in diet and nutrition, recommended that I throw in some fiber to see if it helps. It did and it did immediately.

Of course, in throwing in some fiber, I was simultaneously throwing in carbs -- granted they were extremely low. I moved into Keto territory.

In throwing in the carbs for the first time in a month, my yeast symptoms -- which had completely dropped to almost zero in being on Carnivore -- came back in full force.

Just 1 gram of carb caused my yeast symptoms to flare. I was that sensitive. A sensitivity of which I had never been.

Additionally, inflammation came roaring back, as I once again awoke in the morning with stiffness and pain. Yes, the words, “I can’t win” ran through my mind.

So then it became a matter of choosing the lesser of two evils: Unpleasant digestion on Carnivore or yeast flare up on Keto.

Since I needed to take modified citrus pectin at some point to clear our some biotoxins I accrued -- which has carbs, at least 1 gram -- the choice was clear that I would go Keto, of which I’ve been to the present day.

Smart choice, as I’ve done Keto in the past and did very well with it.

In being on Keto for probably about a week now, digestion is no longer unpleasant (thank you, fiber), and my yeast symptoms are very tolerable, despite eating more carbs now than when I first broke Carnivore.

It’s almost as if the body balanced itself out.

For now, I’m sticking with Keto, of which my diet is still very meat-oriented. I don’t seem to tolerable chicken well. It’s really just been ground beef and fresh salmon.

On top of that, I’ve added in lemons, cucumber, celery, and avocados. That is it.

In moving forward from here, I intend to repeat good results I’ve achieved in the past, specifically with the modified citrus pectin.

My goal here is to get on a respectable dosage of the modified citrus pectin, take MCT oil for excessive yeast while on the modified citrus pectin.

That’s the goal, but we’ll see how it actually plays out.

Why do I think the Carnivore diet didn’t work out for me beyond a month? I’m not 100% certain, but it could be a number of issues:

The unpleasant digestion could have been a good thing, in which yeast was dying off and the gut was balancing itself out.

Perhaps I just wasn’t producing enough lipase to digest all of the fat I was eating.

Viral.

Any possible combination of the above.

Without much research on humans eating just meat long term to survive, I decided to lean more towards the anecdote of my 91 year old grandfather who eats omnivorously.

In the end, we’ll all try a bunch of stuff in order to simply just feel better. The important thing is that we do take risks, because it could very well be worth the reward.

But it’s also just important to not attempt to fix something if it isn’t broke. Balance is key.

This past Saturday, July 20, 2019, marks 30 official days on the carnivore diet for me.​

With this blog post, I'll give you the trials and tribulations along the way, as I took pretty detailed notes.

Summary Results of carnivore diet for 30 days

In being on the carnivore diet (eating just meat) for 30 days, my overall Lyme symptoms have decreased, which means inflammation has decreased, which means eating just meat is ideal for lowering inflammation. Nice!

However, this comes at a cost of some tolerable difficulty in the bathroom while Mr. Brown waits on line 2, if you know what I mean. Not nice!

​Overall, my quality of life and health has improved to the point where I am more of a normal person. With less symptoms, more and consistent energy, and a greater sense of well-being, I seem much further away from the grasp of a health’s decline.

What were the pros of being on the carnivore diet for 30 days?

Inflammation overall has definitely decreased

A noticeable increase in my ability to articulate thoughts into words

Fatigue after eating is completely gone

Muscle weakness has very much been non-existent

Digestion has improved; no bloating, but still excessive burping

Consistent and long lasting energy

Breathing has been easier; sinuses seem less clogged

I can crave meat without the need for salt

Easy clean up; very little dishes​

What Were The Cons Of Being On The Carnivore Diet For 30 Days?

Transitional symptoms/keto flu/carnivore trough (17 days)

Constipation with hemorrhoids

Easy to miss out on electrolytes and possible other nutrients, such as vitamin c (needs lab results to validate this suspicion)

Here's a detailed timeline outlining my experience on the carnivore diet for 30 days

Day 1: Started carnivore diet. Muscle weakness and fatigue completely disappear. A stark contrast compared to the previous day while eating carbs. Energy levels are normal and stable as I burn through glycogen reserves.

Day 2: I'm still in a bit of pain and stiffness, but much less. During the night, I went to the bathroom and it seemed like I urinated forever. Possible water weight leaving? I awoke with a sore throat, a slight headache, and started to get some pimples. Muscle weakness and fatigue begin again (could be electrolytes this time around).

Day 4: Wake up refreshed after sleeping very deep. Muscle weakness and fatigue is gone! Throat is still sore and some muscle twitching (definitely electrolytes).

Day 6: Sore throat 98% gone; sinuses begin to drain.

Day 7: Bowel movement not completely solid. Eyes became itchy and started to slightly burn (very unusual). Sinuses are now draining like a faucet.

Day 9: Producing a yellow mucous

Day 12: Still producing yellow mucous. Cognition got bad; can't follow what people are saying. Slightly dizzy and clumsy. There's definitely something going on in my head. Likely sinus infection, but I never get them. Could it be related to yeast die off?

Day 15: I awoke with some general anxiety and gurgling in the gut. Microbiome shift?

Day 18: First day feeling really good! I suspect my body has successfully transitioned to burning just fat for energy and my electrolytes are balanced.

Day 19 to 30: Very consistent energy levels. Occasionally some anxiety and low points, but overall consistently normal energy levels and a great sense of well being.

Will I stay on the Carnivore Diet?

I think so.

​I ended my carnivore diet on day 32 by eating an avocado. On potential day 33, I then introduced a green bell pepper.

​Today would be day 34 and I awoke this morning achy and inflamed all over. It would appear that green bell peppers are a no go, but for now, I'm going to go back to just meat and try avocado again next week.

This Fall will mark 10 years since unusual and bizarre symptoms manifested and made themselves a home with me -- chronic Lyme.

To bring everyone up to speed and a quick refresh (even for me), since 2009, I've been diagnosed with Lyme, Babesia, CIFS, MTHFR, CBS, heavy metals, POTS, excessive yeast, and possibly more, but we get the picture -- your standard chronically ill person.

In having all of these diagnoses, you'd bet that I've tried quite a few treatment modalities along the way, though not everything.

After watching this video, I read the comments below to get the viewers' general consensus on her radical diet of just beef. She had a lot of support, which was great!

From there, I went to her blog to get the nitty gritty. I wanted to see how she was thriving on the diet and just get more details about her story in general.

Why? I don't know. I guess because I love beef and I'm also chronically ill. You can see how that logic panned out.

Mikhaila has a testimonial on her blog about a chronically ill person named Charlene Anderson -- who had Lyme (like me), along with other ailments -- and was able to feel better with a carnivore diet.

That's it. I was sold, but delivery would take a couple of months!

Starting the Carnivore Diet

For these past 10 years, the treatment philosophy has been to add moreso than remove. The more stuff I take, the better I should feel, in time -- or at least that's what I've picked up consistently along the way.

​No where along the way has anyone suggested the complete opposite. Not only stop taking supplements, medicine, and seeing doctors, but strip your diet down to just beef.

Well, 10 years is long enough, and dammit I was very willing to try something different. Something radical, especially if it didn't involve another doctor's appointment or a supplement delivery from Amazon.

It took me some time after watching Mikhaila's original video to go full carnivore. I'd try the Keto diet and a few more supplements in between, but when my health started to decline even more within the past month, it was time.

I figured if I'm not living a life, than I really honestly have nothing to lose.

This past Friday, June 21, 2019, I officially started the carnivore diet, fully committed.

How am I doing on the Carnivore Diet with Lyme?

Unusually and frighteningly good! I am honestly shocked at how well I am responding to the carnivore diet as someone who has been dealing with chronic Lyme for almost 10 years, and I've only been on it for less than a week.

Symptoms have been dropping like flies. It really is remarkable the improvements I'm experiencing.

​I had symptoms disappearing that I didn't even know I had. That's because when you're chronically ill, you adapt and learn to accept any malfunction in your body that comes your way.

In dealing with this condition, you don't even acknowledge the torment of symptoms after a certain period of time. You just live with it and it becomes your normal.

Like I said, I started the carnivore diet this past Friday, June 21, 2019, but it wasn't smooth sailing the entire time.

Before Friday, I was eating twice a day -- intermittent fasting, which I've been doing for years. After every meal, I would be hit with an overwhelming fatigue and need to sleep.

A systemic muscle weakness, a symptom I experienced when my entire health ordeal started in 2009, resurfaced.

I was pretty miserable this past month, useless to society, but pushed through it as I always did, even if it killed me.

This past Friday, I awoke stiff as a board and in pain all over my body. Yes, the inflammation was real and it was all I needed to make a change.

I didn't eat anything at all until 2 pm on Friday because I know that fasting is really good for shutting down inflammation. And as the morning went on into the afternoon, I actually began to feel better.

When 2 pm rolled around, I made the choice to eat just ground beef. It was 80%, grass-fed ground beef, of which I didn't even add salt.

After eating, I was waiting for the fatigue to hit, but something unusual happened. The fatigue never came.

I'm on to something here. It was this moment I got my first confirmation that the carnivore diet could really be legit, even for Lyme.

That evening, family came over for a gathering and I prepared 2 lamb shoulder cuts on the iron skillet (for me). Again, no salt, nor any fatigue afterwards.

​What the hell was going on? Why was I not suffering?!

To top it off, I even went for an extensive walk around town. Absolutely zero fatigue or muscle weakness. I was feeling pretty good.

I was blown away and in complete awe at what I was experiencing.

Saturday (The following Day)

In feeling as good as I did yesterday (Friday), you'd bet I'd make every effort to repeat those results.

Well, I did, but things went down hill fast. I stuck with just the meat, but a complete exhaustion would take over beginning on Saturday.

After doing some research, I'd learn there is a transitional period when moving to the carnivore diet. You don't just switch to the carnivore diet and everything is fantastic.

Nope! Your body is switching from a fuel of glucose from carbohydrates, to a fuel from ketones from fat.

During this transitional phase, your body has to make adjustments in order to burn the new fuel source of fat efficiently.

I was weak, exhausted, and out of breath during this transition, but eventually on the following Monday, June 24, my body transitioned enough to where I wasn't exhausted or weak anymore.

It appeared that my body successfully transitioned to use ketones as its main fuel source (aside from protein) instead of carbohydrates.

It's my understanding that this transitional (adaptation) period can be really rough for some people. The more carbs you were eating before the transition, the harder (and longer) it will be.

I've read it can take a couple weeks to make this transition, but for me, it seemed to take just 3 days. This makes sense, since I essentially was on the Keto diet just prior.

I suspect I felt good that Friday because I cut out of the carbs, which reduced inflammation, which allowed my hormones to work a bit more correctly.

​The short-lived energy came from my glycogen reserves (uninhibited by inflammation) since my body was no longer receiving carbohydrates.

What has improved on the carnivore diet for me?

A lot has, and as I mentioned before, I'm still in shock at how well I'm responding to the carnivore diet.

Since starting the carnivore diet, I've noticed:

Significantly less fatigue

Significantly less muscle weakness

Less pain in my joints and muscles

A pain in the region of my liver has begun to subside

My neck pain went away for a whole day on Monday

No more bloating

A general feeling of well-being has come about

Clearer and more articulate thought

A deeper and more restful sleep; waking up in the morning actually feeling refreshed

Breathing has gotten much easier

Sinuses have begun to drain

Testicular pain has decreased

The white coating on my tongue is disappearing

Urine flows uninhibited (it used to feel like there was a kink in the tubing)

More motivation and inspiration to do things

A sore throat and swollen lymph nodes developed (I think this is yeast related, but could just be a coincidence). Whatever the cause, my sinuses seem to be improving.

Mind you, I've only been on the carnivore diet for less than a week, but the drastic improvement in my symptoms is huge!

It really is all the motivation I need to keep at it. I'm truly excited to see how my body further responds to the carnivore diet.

Why is the carnivore diet working for chronic Lyme?

I've read a few stories of people with chronic Lyme truly benefiting from the carnivore diet when nothing else has worked.

Could these stories be fake? Sure. Do I think they're fake? I don't know, but if you find no money trail, and instead just relatable words and a true gratitude from the experience as reflected in the sound of a voice, it's worth giving a shot.

There isn't much research on how the carnivore diet works for the human body, but there is much anecdotal evidence.

Hopefully one day these anecdotal experiences will form strong hypotheses for scientific testing and experiments, to potentially better the health of many.

​What research has shown is that the less carbs you consume, the less inflammation you'll have. The carnivore diet is perfect for repairing digestive woes and reducing inflammation.

Which is why I think the carnivore diet could potentially help me get better from my chronic Lyme.

Stephen Buhner, the creator of the Buhner protocol for Lyme, has a first and important step in treating the condition by shutting down inflammation in the body.

He states that a person can simply feel better by reducing the inflammation the Lyme spirochetes cause in the body. The inflammation is what causes the symptoms.

The Lyme bacteria needs inflammation to thrive because it's the mechanism that breaks down collagen in the body, the Lyme spirochetes favorite food.

This is why Lyme symptoms tend to occur in collagen-rich areas within the body (e.g., the heart, the eyes, the joints, etc).

If you can shut down the inflammation, then you can essentially starve the Lyme bacteria (or at least make it difficult for it to thrive), thus resulting in fewer symptoms.

Stephen Buhner prefers to shut down inflammation caused by Lyme with Japanese Knotweed, of which I've taken before and it actually worked.

No placebo. I was back on my feet and working (not full time, but to an extent) within a year of taking it.

But the Japanese Knotweed wasn't enough, so I never completely got better. I ended up coming off of it and let my body handle the condition on its own.

Fast forward 3 years to 2019, and I've found a new treatment modality that may be able to shut down the Lyme inflammation more effectively -- the carnivore diet.